You Are My Sunshine
by Sonata Appassionata
Summary: Artemis' first day with her baby brother.


**I was trying to write Thaluke last night, when this song popped into my head and refused to leave me alone. So, well, nothing like a bit of Artemis/Apollo sibling fluff to make anyone's day sunnier! :) I hope you like this fic. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

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**_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_**

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As the little sluice of life slid into Artemis's arms, Artemis knew that this tiny golden thing would be her downfall. The baby was bawling, all slicked skin and wide open mouth and peachy golden fuzz of the softest hairs Artemis had ever felt. His little hands were curled into little baby fists and he was just _so tiny _that it tugged at Artemis's heart. His blue eyes were a cherub's, bright as open sky, pure as liquid jewels. A pale golden light shimmered around him, throbbing with new life.

Artemis could not help it. Her face broke into a smile and she gently wrapped this little treasure in the bundle of cloth that lay beside them before scooped him into her arms, smoothing back the golden curls on the top of his head.

Mother Leto was on her side, still catching her breath as she looked down upon her newborn son with bright eyes and indescribable smile.

She reached out her arms.

"Here. Let me hold him, my daughter."

Slowly, Artemis transferred her baby twin brother into her mother's arms.

"Hello, Apollo," Leto breathed. She gazed into her son's face, and a tear slowly trickled down her cheek. Her smile was wide with happiness. Artemis wondered if that was how her mother had looked at her when she was just born. It probably was. A smile drew itself onto her face as she looked upon her mother's joy and the little life nestled in her arms. Apollo gave a high pitched giggle and batted Leto's face with his tiny fists.

Minutes passed like liquid gold, where Leto simply gazed into her son's face as though she could look at him with a million eyes. Then, as the weariness of the past days of labour set in, she leaned against a tree with a sigh. She bundled Apollo against to her chest and closed her eyes.

"Take care of us for now, Artemis..."

Even as Leto closed her eyes and her breathing turned slow and deep, Apollo was far from sleep. He squirmed in his mother's arms and twisted his head. When he saw Artemis again, he let out a squeal, stretching out his chubby arms to her.

Artemis made a face at him, hiding her smile.

"Come on, you. Mummy's sleeping. Give her some peace."

Apollo frowned and squealed again, shaking his arms at Artemis.

"Oh, you."

Artemis leaned forward and gently picked up one of her brother's minuscule round hands. The baby giggled again and pressed the softness of his cheek into Artemis's hand. Artemis could not help it. She leaned close to Leto and held her brother against her, breathing in the scent of baby, feeling the warmth of this little being, pulsing with life against her. When she opened her eyes, she found Apollo gazing adoringly at her, jewel-bright eyes full of trust.

Artemis could not help it.

She fell in love.

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_**You make me happy, when skies are grey**_

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As Leto slept on, the clouds steadily darkened and rain began to fall, grey and wet. Lightning streaked across the sky and thunder rumbled like a distant beast. Artemis waved her hand and an invisible protective dome sprung up above her, her brother and her mother, shielding them from the rising crescendo of rain and wind.

Apollo looked mistrustfully at the sky and toddled over to Artemis.

"It's just daddy," Artemis told him, looking up at the sky herself. "You'll see him tomorrow. He lives in this big place up above the clouds and when he's upset he throws thunderbolts." Her chest tightened slightly resentfully. "He's hardly ever happy. He can't see you today because he's busy. He's always busy, though."

Apollo glared unhappily at the sky and sprawled himself across Artemis's lap.

"I know," Artemis sighed. "He makes mummy sad too. She never looks happy when talking about him. Promise me. Don't ever make someone so nice sad, okay?"

She looked up to see Apollo vigorously shaking his little head.

"Won't make Arty sad," he told her firmly. "Arty must happy."

Then he buried himself back into her arms, pushing his little head into her chest and averting his eyes from the dark sky.

Through the wind and rain and darkness above, Artemis smiled, her heart swelling with sweet molten gold.

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_**And do you know, dear, how much I love you**_

* * *

It was late afternoon when the rain finally died out and Leto awoke.

"Mummy!" Apollo cried, happily toddling toward her as fast as his chubby little legs would allow him.

Leto smiled and opened her arms wide to receive him.

"A few hours more than half a day and you're walking so well!" she laughed. "That's my boy. It took a whole day for your sister to do what you can." She winked at Artemis and kissed Apollo's cheek. "Give it a few days and you'll be taller than your big sister."

Apollo giggled cheekily and stuck out his little pink tongue at Artemis, golden curls bouncing. He really as growing exceptionally fast. Leto was right. If he carried on like this, Artemis wouldn't put it past him to make people believe that _he_ was the older of the two.

She frowned at him.

"I'm your big sister," she told him. "I'm your big big big sister who saw how you looked when you were just a tiny, insignificant little thing." She bared her teeth, summoned her most terrifying expression and waggled her finger in front of his nose. It only made him giggle more, pointing at her and positively shrieking with laughter.

Artemis turned her back away in mock anger.

Leto stroked Apollo's hair.

"Don't listen to your sister. She's just being sulky. You'll be _gorgeous_ when you grow up, Apollo. Gorgeous and powerful. You'll slay the most dangerous monsters and outwit the cleverest of the cleverest. Those pretty goddesses and nature spirits won't know what hit them."

At these words, something seemed to drop into the pit of Artemis's stomach - something cold and leaden that seemed to make the grass less green, the day less bright. She should have known. A baby as beautiful as her little brother would _of course_ grow up to become an even more beautiful man whom goddesses and nature spirits and even _mortal girls_ would never cease pursuing. It was to be expected, of course. He was the son of Leto and Zeus, after all.

Artemis tried to imagine her brother grown up, with golden hair that gleamed in the sun, chiseled muscles and glittering eyes, staring around proudly as though he owned the whole place. The image made her want to laugh. Then she imagined a faceless girl, with perfect blonde hair and sinewy body, wrapping her hands around his face and claiming him as hers. A sour taste pervaded Artemis's mouth, and a jolt of pain stabbed through her heart. Apollo was her little baby brother. He was hers to tease and torture and stay with. He would never belong to some cunning snake and her poisoned words. Artemis would not allow it, would not allow him to leave her side to risk getting hurt by the perfectly manicured talons of a faceless shadow.

Those girls did not see Apollo born; were not the ones to see the breathtaking new life slide into the world and into their arms, did not hear the fresh cries of brilliant life. They were not the ones who would hold Apollo's hand as he learned to walk and stayed with him through sunrise and sunset as a sister and only Artemis would.

She looked up as Leto spoke again.

"They'll love you, my boy. You'll be the golden apple of their eyes," Leto continued happily. Then her face darkened and she continued, "just don't be like your father, understood?"

Leto swallowed and smiled again, chatting on about her son's bright future, leaving Artemis confused and angry. Apollo might be the apple of those girls' briefest glances, but that was nothing compared to how he would be the sunshine in Artemis's immortal life.

* * *

_**Please don't talk my sunshine away**_

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Night was falling, the light of the sky gently fading away into an inky blanket of stars. The moon rose as Selene drove her chariot across the heavens. Artemis snuggled against her mother's side, feeling the warmly moist peach of Apollo's cheek press against hers. He was already asleep, curled up against his mother, snuffling occasionally. His skin still had that golden radiance about it, even in the faint silvery light of the moon. His hair was smoothed back,golden as the sun.

Artemis's eyelids felt heavy with the coming of impending sleep. She looked at her little brother's sleeping profile. Tomorrow, when they woke, he would be grown up, invulnerable, no longer this little thing that slept beside his mother and sister.

Her little brother, this little golden treasure in the light of the moon. Her whole centre of gravity had shifted onto him, and it would take a long, long time for her to regain her balance.

Artemis leaned toward him and pressed a kiss to the top of his head, before closing her eyes and letting sleep take her away. With her mother beside her, and her brother in their arms, she was whole.

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